Police Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
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Monday, February 11, 2008

[MA] 10 dv-charged Boston officers allowed to keep weapons

In retrospect, Boston Police Department officials said, they should never have allowed Officer Leonard F. Brown to carry his gun... "We missed him," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said in an interview....Boston police officials have authorized 10 officers out of 26 who were the subjects of domestic violence-related restraining orders since January 2005 to continue patrolling city streets with their weapons...

...[Boston Police Officer Leonard] Brown is facing trial March 13 in Quincy District Court on charges of violating a restraining order, assault with a dangerous weapon, and threatening to commit a crime for allegedly displaying his gun to a relative of his former wife...

Boston police broke weapons policyGuns kept during restraining ordersBoston GlobeBy Donovan SlackFebruary 11, 2008In retrospect, Boston Police Department officials said, they should never have allowed Officer Leonard F. Brown to carry his gun. Brown, they said, shouldn't have had it last summer, while his former wife had an active restraining order against him. Specifically, he shouldn't have had it July 26, when he was accused of flashing his department-issued .40-caliber Glock to a former in-law during what has been described as a vodka-infused tirade, saying, "Do you know who you're [expletive] with?" -- "We missed him," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said in an interview. But while Brown may be the most egregious example, he is hardly alone. The Boston Police Department - unlike the State Police - has repeatedly allowed officers accused of domestic-related threats or violence to continue carrying guns, a Globe review has found... After learning of the Globe's findings, Davis said last month that he planned to launch a fresh review of the department's policies for handling officers accused of domestic violence... Davis came under fire in December when he punished a police lieutenant found to have punched his girlfriend in a Baltimore bar with a five-day suspension, rather than termination. The commissioner said at the time that he felt firing Lieutenant David Murphy would spur a protracted court battle with the officer that would cost taxpayers too much money, and ultimately Murphy would win his job back... Boston police officials have authorized 10 officers out of 26 who were the subjects of domestic violence-related restraining orders since January 2005 to continue patrolling city streets with their weapons. Nine of the allowances came with a restriction: the officers were required to turn in their guns to supervisors before heading home. They were supposed to sign them out at the beginning of their shifts, and sign them back in at the end. In the 10th case, Brown's, Davis allowed him to carry his gun without any restriction... Paul Evans, former Boston police commissioner, formed the special internal review committee to study how domestic violence charges were handled within department ranks in 2002. The goal: address "the growing numbers of officers involved in off-duty and on-duty instances of battering their partners," according to an internal Police Department memo obtained by the Globe. The committee quickly concluded that the department needed better counseling. But by 2005, a program for enhanced counseling had fizzled... Kathleen M. O'Toole, Evans's successor as police commissioner, in 2005 rejected the internal committee's recommendation that all officers subject to restraining orders surrender their weapons for the duration of the orders. O'Toole, who is working at a police agency in Ireland, declined to comment... Department lawyer Ambarik said taking officers' guns away significantly cuts their income because it makes it impossible for them to work details. "The fact is, we are taking away someone's ability to earn a living," she said... Brown is facing trial March 13 in Quincy District Court on charges of violating a restraining order, assault with a dangerous weapon, and threatening to commit a crime for allegedly displaying his gun to a relative of his former wife...